Chapter 82

When he heard Yang Yuanzhao's thoughts, Liu Shu couldn't help but laugh and said, "Do you still think you're just one person? I've already arranged the staff for you—four maids and eight attendants, and the stable boys and gatekeepers are all ready. There are more than a dozen people in this house now."

More than a dozen people, Yang Yuanzhao only then realized that this wasn't the new century he was in, but the late Qing Dynasty, the end of the feudal society. Selling people and servants was still a legal phenomenon. Large families often had hundreds or even thousands of servants. In Baotou, the bustling area was for merchants and chambers of commerce, and ordinary people lived rather hard lives. In times of disaster, many would sell their children. Even in normal years, to give their children a better future, sending them to reputable large households was quite common.

The Liu family was a prominent household, and Liu Shu was a scholar. His reputation in Baotou had always been good, and he had many servants. It was no problem to spare some for Yang Yuanzhao. With so many people, it would only cost a couple of hundred silver dollars. Since he had already taken the house, a few more people didn't matter.

Yang Yuanzhao smiled bitterly and scanned the room. He had only glanced at it before, but now he was looking at it as if it were his own house, paying great attention to every detail. He thought about everything, and he realized that setting up this large house in Baotou, including the furniture, would require a lot of effort.

Yang Yuanzhao nodded and looked around, saying, "Liu Shu, can you help me find someone to decorate it?"

"Decorate?" Liu Shu was taken aback and then said, "Is it not good enough? I'll call the people from the Treasure Workshop to add some treasures inside."

Yang Yuanzhao smiled bitterly and said, "Of course not. I'm just not satisfied with the functionality. I just need a few masons!"

This was a thought that had just occurred to Yang Yuanzhao. He had been in this era for more than two months, and the rush and fatigue had made him neglect the idea of settling down. Now, with the house Liu Shu had given him, he had to set it up properly.

"Is that so!" Liu Shu looked around. He didn't see anything wrong, but then he thought that since Yang Yuanzhao had studied abroad, he might have some Western ideas, perhaps something like Western-style decoration.

Liu Shu was right. Yang Yuanzhao did want Western-style decoration, but more importantly, he wanted modern conveniences like water and electricity, which he had brought from the future.

Among the things he brought from the future, a few were mechanical, but most were household items like refrigerators and air conditioners. On this trip, he had replicated many blueprints, including a generator from this era. It was a bit noisy and produced direct current, but with a DC-AC converter, it could be converted to alternating current. The power lines were connected, and the generator room was placed far from the house, with soundproofing for safety and peace of mind.

Electricity was a new energy source and a new driving force. The electrical revolution was a significant change for pre-World War II countries. Many countries only completed this revolution after World War I, and the true development of electricity came after World War II. However, in this era, electricity already existed, and the electrical revolution was changing the lives of countless households.

Yang Yuanzhao carefully recalled things from his past life and the items he had brought from the future. He often discussed with the masons to ensure his ideas were feasible.

Liu Shu acted quickly and brought three masons early the next morning. They looked honest and hardworking. Liu Shu pointed to them and introduced, "This is Master Zhou, Master Wang, and Master Li. They are the best masons in all of Baotou. You can tell them what you need."

Yang Yuanzhao had spent the night in the house, and the gatekeepers, stable boys, and maids were all in place. After a tiring day and a drink, he had a deep sleep. In the morning, he walked around the house and thought of some things.

Baotou lacked water, and bathing was not easy in this era. The simplest method was to use a metal bucket on the roof, but since this was a quadrangle courtyard, it was very inconvenient. The only option was to use a stove. In his hometown, there was a type of stove that included an iron liner connected to a water pipe. This way, the residual heat from the stove could heat the water, providing hot water all year round. Since he hadn't brought a water heater from the future, this was probably the best idea.

The iron liner was easy to make. He just needed to draw a blueprint and have it made. With the available steel, it wasn't difficult. As for cement and bricks, they were also readily available. When he visited Qixin, Yang Yuanzhao had replicated various types of cement, and he had already replicated bricks. He started replicating everything, using red bricks.

When Liu Shu brought the masons in, they saw several buckets of cement and a stack of red bricks in one corner of the courtyard.

"What's this?" Master Zhou walked to the cement bucket, identified it, and said in surprise, "This is cement!"

Cement was rare even in Taiyuan, let alone Baotou. However, they knew that houses made with cement were extremely sturdy, and even an iron hammer might not break them.

"Find some lime and fine sand, mix them with the cement, and then you can start building the walls. I need them to look like this!" Yang Yuanzhao took a branch and drew on the ground, roughly explaining the stove and the water pipes.

The three masons looked at Yang Yuanzhao in surprise. They didn't fully understand his design, but the blueprint he drew, a simple, almost 1:1 scale model, helped them understand how to build it.

The stove and kitchen were just one aspect. Yang Yuanzhao, of course, wouldn't just take care of himself. He built three stoves, with water pipes leading in different directions for the male and female servants and himself. With a dozen people, three stoves would make cooking faster. Additionally, he installed a small heating system, a small stove that could heat the rooms by boiling water. He didn't know how cold the winters were in this era, but he had been to the north in his past life, and without central heating, he wouldn't be able to tolerate just a kang (a traditional heated bed).

The kitchen and toilet were the most important and most modified areas. When he crossed over, the main items were in the living room, and a flush toilet was impossible. Using some tiles and bricks, he made a squat toilet, and behind it, he dug a biogas pit to use water to flush the waste.

These were the simplest arrangements. The masons of this era were all experienced, and some were even skilled in carpentry, as evidenced by the beautifully carved doors and windows. Although Yang Yuanzhao's ideas included modern knowledge, they were simple for the masons. The three master masons and dozens of workers started building the three stoves with cement and red bricks. The steel water liners were connected to the water pipes and buried in the stoves, surrounded by fire-resistant materials and firebricks to ensure the heat stayed inside the stoves.

During the construction of the stoves, a problem arose. Yang Yuanzhao only realized halfway through that this era didn't have honeycomb coal, which seemed to have been invented during the Republic of China period. He needed to find a specific person to research it, but he had to use it now.

Reluctantly, Yang Yuanzhao discussed with Master Zhou and designed two different combustion chambers. One was the common honeycomb coal cylinder shape from the future, and the other was suitable for the ordinary mud coal of this era. These two combustion chambers, with Master Zhou's skillful design, could be interchanged with just a few adjustments.

The renovation of the kitchen and toilet was basically completed in just three days. Once the cement dried, they could be used. When a few pieces of charcoal and coal were mixed and burned on the stove, a meal was cooked, and the hot water pipes provided hot water.

Seeing the hot water from the pipes, the three masons couldn't help but marvel. Hot water was usually only available after being boiled, but they never expected it to be automatically heated by residual heat. They knew the secret must be in the pipes and water liners, but no one said a word. In this era, even ordinary iron was expensive, and the refined stainless steel water liners and water-resistant pipes were far beyond the means of ordinary people.

The courtyard changed every day. After the kitchen and toilet were completed, Yang Yuanzhao's life became much easier. Next, he turned his attention to the house itself.